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Zarahemla Two Crows #1
The Widow’s Son: A Novel of the Weird West
KEEP THE GOOD BOOK CLOSE AND YOUR SIX-GUN CLOSER
Pass the bottle, stranger, and I’ll tell you a true story of a West that never was. A tale of the lawman Zarahemla Two Crows and his quest for the widow’s son that led him through the gates of Hell.
A story of the child’s young pioneer mother who joins Two Crows, and the vampire-hunting nun and cavalryman with his steed of steam and iron who come to their aid. A tale of a world where one needs a trusty six-gun at their side and an even greater trust in God to survive.
I’ll tell you of their battle into the heart of darkness, and the faith required to prevent the resurrection of a godlike entity of evil—a power greater than the world has ever known.
I’ll tell you a story, friend, of when the West was weird.
Ryan Williamson’s The Widow's Son is a gritty blend of steampunk fantasy, the occult, and Western adventure “that will take you on a wild ride unlike anything you’ve experienced before.” (Woelf Dietrich, author of The Seals of Abgal)
Pass the bottle, stranger, and I’ll tell you a true story of a West that never was. A tale of the lawman Zarahemla Two Crows and his quest for the widow’s son that led him through the gates of Hell.
A story of the child’s young pioneer mother who joins Two Crows, and the vampire-hunting nun and cavalryman with his steed of steam and iron who come to their aid. A tale of a world where one needs a trusty six-gun at their side and an even greater trust in God to survive.
I’ll tell you of their battle into the heart of darkness, and the faith required to prevent the resurrection of a godlike entity of evil—a power greater than the world has ever known.
I’ll tell you a story, friend, of when the West was weird.
Ryan Williamson’s The Widow's Son is a gritty blend of steampunk fantasy, the occult, and Western adventure “that will take you on a wild ride unlike anything you’ve experienced before.” (Woelf Dietrich, author of The Seals of Abgal)
- GenresWesternsWeird West
405 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2021
52 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Williamson
12 books14 followersRyan Williamson is a former U.S. Army Cavalry Scout and bestselling author who rips the guardrails off genre fiction. His books make you think without telling you what to think—smart protagonists, real stakes, no plot armor.
A Canadian who chose to serve America, he lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and a pack of unruly dogs. They have four kids, including an active duty Army Ranger who keeps the military details honest.
You can follow him on X/Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and Substack as @rywilwrite.
A Canadian who chose to serve America, he lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and a pack of unruly dogs. They have four kids, including an active duty Army Ranger who keeps the military details honest.
You can follow him on X/Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and Substack as @rywilwrite.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 17, 2021
The Widow’s Son by Ryan Williamson is a weird western, a tradition going back to at least to Robert E. Howard’s “The Horror from the Mound”. Westerns were popular for more than a century, oftentimes [loosely] inspired by the real-life adventures of men like Kit Carson, but where usually about more mundane conflicts. I have to imagine that tales of monsters, disappearances, and generally strange stuff were repeated around plenty of campfires and on long walks across the wild places of the American West. This book is a worthy addition to that tradition.
I am of course a sucker for anything set around my home, and The Widow’s Son opens in northeastern Arizona as Zarahelma Two Crows, the guy with the spooky blue eyes on the cover, is escorting a Navajo prisoner to Albuquerque. This is the post-Civil War west, where Kit Carson’s campaign to starve the Navajos into submission has only recently been completed, but it rapidly becomes clear that this is not quite the West of history. Fierce creatures and heroes of legend mingle with steam-powered mechanized cavalry and the hallmark of alternative history, airships.
Fortunately, Zarahelma Two Crows is the knight errant of the Southwest, part of the recently founded Occult Research Bureau. Zarahelma is pretty uncanny himself, although he is entirely on the side of the angels. With a quick gun and quicker fists he is there to see justice done when the monsters come calling on the common folk of the Southwest. He thought he was simply doing his job by chasing after some skinwalkers who kidnapped a child, but he will find himself sucked into an continent-spanning apocalypse of ethnic revenge.
The Southwestern United States of the 1860s truly was the wild west. Disparate cultures were clashing together and everything was in continual flux. This book comes into that volatile environment with the premise that all the myths and legends are true, and they interact with history. Events in the American Southwest in the 1860s determined the destiny of the people living there in our world, so this seems a plausible point at which to set the story in motion.
There is a wealth of well-considered anthropological and historical detail in the book, but it is deftly weaved in to a classic western tale of good and evil. A touch in The Widow’s Son that I found entirely appropriate was untranslated snippets of dialogue in any and all of the tongues you might have found spoken in the area from Arizona to Louisiana in the 1860s. Usually, you can get a pretty good idea of what might be going on from context, but the ever present risk of getting yourself in trouble by not being able to understand or make yourself understood was a fine bit of worldbuilding. There were also little details like the habit of Navajo to point with their lips, as pointing with your fingers was [and is] considered rude and even tantamount to magical assault. And in this world, that isn’t an idle complaint. Strange things lurk in the vastness of the American west, and lots of them are plenty unfriendly.
The Widow’s Son also seems to be a very Catholic book. I think this is appropriate, as the Catholic faith had been a part of the American Southwest for at least three centuries by the time period in question. As this is mostly an adventure book, the sacramental reality of the Church is mostly used as a tool to smite evil things, but I felt it was generally well done.
Where I have complaints about The Widow’s Son is that I feel a lot of interesting speculation about this fascinating world that Williamson has created never really got explored. I have taken the editorial position here at With Both Hands that science, fiction, fantasy and horror are all fundamentally adventure stories that seek give us the emotion of wonder. However, the speculative elements of this genre as practiced in the last couple of centuries really can enhance this goal.
I’m going to get all spoilery here, so consider yourself warned. The Southwest that Williamson started with is recognizably like ours, but by the end of the book, Mexico and the American West have been depopulated, Catholic priests are embedded in US Army units to provide organic sacramental support, and a unit of mechanized Buffalo soldiers has invaded the Yucatan to drive back the demons of Hell. That is quite a fork in history, and it would be interesting to see what kind of world might result. However, what we get is the hero gets the girl and sails off into the sunset. I’m not complaining about that, I would like to see more heroes enjoying their just reward. What I would like to see is this great setup turned into another world where the Native tribes reclaim abandoned territory and the US has become Catholic in a baptism of fire. I’d love to read that book, especially given Williamson’s ability to do historical details that I find interesting.
There are hints of strange politics in the US around the Occult Research Bureau that would be interesting too, but I wonder whether those things were just obstacles placed in the hero’s path rather than intentional world-building. I think there is a lot of great material here that could be really fun as a series. What I don’t know is whether Williamson is interested in writing such a thing. I suspect buying the book would help, but I also can’t impose my preferences on the author. At the very least, read the book if you like this kind of thing. I certainly do.
Find out more about the author at https://ryanwilliamson.com/
I am of course a sucker for anything set around my home, and The Widow’s Son opens in northeastern Arizona as Zarahelma Two Crows, the guy with the spooky blue eyes on the cover, is escorting a Navajo prisoner to Albuquerque. This is the post-Civil War west, where Kit Carson’s campaign to starve the Navajos into submission has only recently been completed, but it rapidly becomes clear that this is not quite the West of history. Fierce creatures and heroes of legend mingle with steam-powered mechanized cavalry and the hallmark of alternative history, airships.
Fortunately, Zarahelma Two Crows is the knight errant of the Southwest, part of the recently founded Occult Research Bureau. Zarahelma is pretty uncanny himself, although he is entirely on the side of the angels. With a quick gun and quicker fists he is there to see justice done when the monsters come calling on the common folk of the Southwest. He thought he was simply doing his job by chasing after some skinwalkers who kidnapped a child, but he will find himself sucked into an continent-spanning apocalypse of ethnic revenge.
The Southwestern United States of the 1860s truly was the wild west. Disparate cultures were clashing together and everything was in continual flux. This book comes into that volatile environment with the premise that all the myths and legends are true, and they interact with history. Events in the American Southwest in the 1860s determined the destiny of the people living there in our world, so this seems a plausible point at which to set the story in motion.
There is a wealth of well-considered anthropological and historical detail in the book, but it is deftly weaved in to a classic western tale of good and evil. A touch in The Widow’s Son that I found entirely appropriate was untranslated snippets of dialogue in any and all of the tongues you might have found spoken in the area from Arizona to Louisiana in the 1860s. Usually, you can get a pretty good idea of what might be going on from context, but the ever present risk of getting yourself in trouble by not being able to understand or make yourself understood was a fine bit of worldbuilding. There were also little details like the habit of Navajo to point with their lips, as pointing with your fingers was [and is] considered rude and even tantamount to magical assault. And in this world, that isn’t an idle complaint. Strange things lurk in the vastness of the American west, and lots of them are plenty unfriendly.
The Widow’s Son also seems to be a very Catholic book. I think this is appropriate, as the Catholic faith had been a part of the American Southwest for at least three centuries by the time period in question. As this is mostly an adventure book, the sacramental reality of the Church is mostly used as a tool to smite evil things, but I felt it was generally well done.
Where I have complaints about The Widow’s Son is that I feel a lot of interesting speculation about this fascinating world that Williamson has created never really got explored. I have taken the editorial position here at With Both Hands that science, fiction, fantasy and horror are all fundamentally adventure stories that seek give us the emotion of wonder. However, the speculative elements of this genre as practiced in the last couple of centuries really can enhance this goal.
I’m going to get all spoilery here, so consider yourself warned. The Southwest that Williamson started with is recognizably like ours, but by the end of the book, Mexico and the American West have been depopulated, Catholic priests are embedded in US Army units to provide organic sacramental support, and a unit of mechanized Buffalo soldiers has invaded the Yucatan to drive back the demons of Hell. That is quite a fork in history, and it would be interesting to see what kind of world might result. However, what we get is the hero gets the girl and sails off into the sunset. I’m not complaining about that, I would like to see more heroes enjoying their just reward. What I would like to see is this great setup turned into another world where the Native tribes reclaim abandoned territory and the US has become Catholic in a baptism of fire. I’d love to read that book, especially given Williamson’s ability to do historical details that I find interesting.
There are hints of strange politics in the US around the Occult Research Bureau that would be interesting too, but I wonder whether those things were just obstacles placed in the hero’s path rather than intentional world-building. I think there is a lot of great material here that could be really fun as a series. What I don’t know is whether Williamson is interested in writing such a thing. I suspect buying the book would help, but I also can’t impose my preferences on the author. At the very least, read the book if you like this kind of thing. I certainly do.
Find out more about the author at https://ryanwilliamson.com/
April 22, 2024
The supernatural Wild Wild West
A story rich in details, prose that allows you to almost smell the geography, monsters, tech and good guys (and gals) combine for a great story that exposes and celebrates a possible dimension in our post civil war life as a nation. If you like tough and realistic heroes, with the fears of normal men but the courage of warriors, you’ll love this book. I read this after the excellent series by Ryan and Jason Anspach Doomsday Recon (1 & 2). It’s fascinating to see the progression yet similarities of Ryan as a storyteller and author from one of his first works to his latest. Read his books, leave honest reviews and enjoy learning about a fascinating part of our history and hemisphere.
A story rich in details, prose that allows you to almost smell the geography, monsters, tech and good guys (and gals) combine for a great story that exposes and celebrates a possible dimension in our post civil war life as a nation. If you like tough and realistic heroes, with the fears of normal men but the courage of warriors, you’ll love this book. I read this after the excellent series by Ryan and Jason Anspach Doomsday Recon (1 & 2). It’s fascinating to see the progression yet similarities of Ryan as a storyteller and author from one of his first works to his latest. Read his books, leave honest reviews and enjoy learning about a fascinating part of our history and hemisphere.
November 21, 2024
Williamson made me pick up a new genre that I never thought I’d love and showed me the way. No, seriously, this one is definitely worth stretching and reaching out on.
This is an exploration of magic and steampunk and apocalyptic stakes in the Wild West with a Witcher like feel to Zarahmela who surrounds himself with a cast of unlikely supporting characters who draw you into their little family.
Do things go sideways? Yes.
Do things always go their way after? No.
And that’s what makes it great. The writing is excellent, the plot moves along well and quickly and traverses not only the continental US but also South America. Williamson takes them everywhere and through Zarahmela you’re going to leap into a brand new cowboy adventure worth sticking around for.
This is an exploration of magic and steampunk and apocalyptic stakes in the Wild West with a Witcher like feel to Zarahmela who surrounds himself with a cast of unlikely supporting characters who draw you into their little family.
Do things go sideways? Yes.
Do things always go their way after? No.
And that’s what makes it great. The writing is excellent, the plot moves along well and quickly and traverses not only the continental US but also South America. Williamson takes them everywhere and through Zarahmela you’re going to leap into a brand new cowboy adventure worth sticking around for.
July 25, 2022
From the description of this novel, I knew it would be weird and action-packed. I wasn't expecting it to be so well-written and just plain fun. I had a real blast following the epic adventure of Two Crows and Anne as they attempt to save Anne's infant son from a Navajo sorceress. As they discover an ever-darker plot that ultimately threatens the entire North American continent, Two Crows and Anne are aided by a group of trusty companions that include religious sisters, Buffalo Soldiers, Celtic gods and angels.
If that plot sounds complicated and hectic, it is. But this novel is well-crafted and genuinely entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
If that plot sounds complicated and hectic, it is. But this novel is well-crafted and genuinely entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 5, 2022
Starts out well enough as an entertaining steampunk/weird west story, but veers inexplicably into christian evangelism about halfway through. The characters suddenly turn to constantly praying fanatics, at least three different indigenous mythologies are suddenly appropriated as aspects of christianity, and the climactic battle feels like someone tried to write an evangelical version of the far superior Hexslinger series.
A waste of a tale by a writer who can obviously do far better, and not even the pleasant use of several different languages to make the characters come alive can save this mess.
A waste of a tale by a writer who can obviously do far better, and not even the pleasant use of several different languages to make the characters come alive can save this mess.
March 30, 2021
Blast from the (weird west) past
I'm not much of a western reader, but am generally sold on anything supernatural sounding. Widow's Son does a great job of incorporating western and military style setting in a great story that kept me churning through pages till the end. Fun cast of characters and interesting bits of history along the way. Looking forward to more great work from this author.
I'm not much of a western reader, but am generally sold on anything supernatural sounding. Widow's Son does a great job of incorporating western and military style setting in a great story that kept me churning through pages till the end. Fun cast of characters and interesting bits of history along the way. Looking forward to more great work from this author.
March 3, 2023
A Wild Ride
This book is filled with action and strange occurrences set against a Wild West backdrop. The supernatural events and creatures flow naturally within the story, mixed with a heavy dose of faith and religion. It’s easy to root for the good guys while praying they make it to the end unscathed. The mix of cultures and beliefs makes it impossible to tell what’s going to happen next or how the story is going to play out.
This book is filled with action and strange occurrences set against a Wild West backdrop. The supernatural events and creatures flow naturally within the story, mixed with a heavy dose of faith and religion. It’s easy to root for the good guys while praying they make it to the end unscathed. The mix of cultures and beliefs makes it impossible to tell what’s going to happen next or how the story is going to play out.
May 3, 2023
This book is wild! A fun-tastic stew of Western, steam-punk, horror, speculative, adventure, and more. It’s always a more enjoyable read when you can tell the author had a damn good time writing his own story and The Widow’s Son is a classic case of just that. This novel picks you up on page one and doesn’t put you back down until the very end. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever read such a rapid-fire novel but it sure was a hell of a good time. Highly recommend!
March 12, 2024
A friend of mine gifted me this book because of my love of the RPG Deadlands Classic. when I first read the opening of the book I was hooked. A very enjoyable read, that takes you on the weird and wild adventure of Two Crows, with whom I have adapted into my weekly RPG session a long with other characters from this novel. I am looking forward to reading book two, and I really want to know more about the man with bronze teeth. that straight up scared me, and I loved it.
November 29, 2021
An Epic Battle Between Good and Evil Set in the Old West
This book is a massive masterpiece on a grand scale. Superb world-building spun around an intriguing alternate history. Action, plot and a fascinating cast of characters woven into a tapestry of the undead, witches, angels, demons and gods with a liberal sprinkling of steampunk. Enjoy!
This book is a massive masterpiece on a grand scale. Superb world-building spun around an intriguing alternate history. Action, plot and a fascinating cast of characters woven into a tapestry of the undead, witches, angels, demons and gods with a liberal sprinkling of steampunk. Enjoy!
October 31, 2021
The best in the wild weird west. A great take on a genre that doesn’t get enough love. Has a feel of several pulp novels pushed together, written with an eye for multiple cultures and languages. Highly recommend
May 20, 2022
Had great potential
I almost never give negative feedback buut this book could of been epic. Sadly it was very boring and hard to follow
I almost never give negative feedback buut this book could of been epic. Sadly it was very boring and hard to follow
November 14, 2022
Love it!
Absolutely love the liberties taken and the country layout mixed with occult! Westerns have lost some glamour over time but this was a wonderful mix.
Absolutely love the liberties taken and the country layout mixed with occult! Westerns have lost some glamour over time but this was a wonderful mix.
April 23, 2022
Cowboys vs Zombies and Demons
I enjoyed every page. Lots of fun, every page was a new supernatural threat they had to overcome. I hope to see more of Anne and Zara!
I enjoyed every page. Lots of fun, every page was a new supernatural threat they had to overcome. I hope to see more of Anne and Zara!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews